A HAY-BALE HOUSE IN BAYFIELD

HAY-BALE HOUSE BEING BUILT ON 7TH ST. ...

...BETWEEN RITENHOUSE AVE. AND WASHINGTON AVE.

HAY BALES ARE USED WITHIN A TIMBER FRAME, AND STUCCOED

HAY BALE CONSTRUCTION IS SIMPLE IN CONCEPT BUT CAN BE COMPLICATED IN APPLICATION

Friday, 8:00 AM.  -2 degrees F, wind WSW, light with stronger gusts.  The atmosphere has a high overcast underlain with scattered clouds.  The humidity is 75% and the barometer is trending downward, now at 29.99".  The morning is warming rapidly and we will probably get some light snow. Yesterday's temperatures, although very cold, were within a normal range for this time of year in Bayfield.  The record high for yesterday was 48 degrees in 2003, the record low -21in 1966.  Yesterday's official low was -17, and a neighbor a block up the hill recorded -18.
   The sub-zezo weather is due to moderate by late morning and be relatively warm until dropping back to very cold temperatures on Sunday.  We will take the opportunity to do some needed outdoor chores, and go to the recycle center on Saturday.
  A hay bale house is being built in Bayfield, on 7th St. between Rittenhouse Ave. and Washington Ave.  Construction was started last fall, after the razing of an older structure.  The first floor is timber framing and hay bales, the second floor conventional construction.  It has been interesting to see the progress of this hybrid home.  If I am not mistaken it will be heated by a European-style masonry combination stove, oven and hot water heater.  It has progressed to the point that the outside looks pretty well done, and the hay bales have been stuccoed.
   The structure is built on a concrete slab that,  if I remember correctly,  has perimeter footings.
   This is an interesting structure and I am sure the various city authorities were sympathetic to its being built.  From the looks of it during construction and the time it is taking the specialized builder to complete it, it will probably be every bit as expensive (or more) to build as a comparable standard construction home.
   One thing I noticed is that the hay bales decrease the inside dimensions of the structure considerably, making the square footage of useable space more expensive.  Whether the construction itself is less expensive than a standard two-by-six frame would be interesting to know, but I rather doubt that it is.
   A serious consideration in building anything really unique is that it may be very difficult to sell in the future, so anyone contemplating such a venture has to anticipate that factor.  It is not just that tastes change and the popularity of an unusual structure may wane, but when it comes to a potential buyer getting a loan there will be few, or perhaps no, comparable properties in the market place.
   Banks are very averse to making home loans without comparables. This is certainly true of earth homes, homes built "off the grid," etc.  Future home buyers may very well have to purchase with cash, limiting the pool of potential buyers, which usually reduces the market price of a home and makes it harder to sell.
   These cautions being stated, if a person has the money to risk on unusual construction and intends to keep it a long, long time, a hay-bale house might be a lot of fun to build.